The removal of fixed vehicle glazing in one piece for replacement or salvage purposes involves penetrating and cutting through the adhesive seal bonding a window element to an associated frame of a vehicle. Throughout the years, various methods for the removal of mainly vehicle windshields and rear windows have been suggested and practiced. Among such known methods are those where a knife or similar tool is used to cut through the adhesive bond and an outward pressure is simultaneously applied to the windshield, see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,702. Other methods make use of a wire that is threaded through the adhesive bond and that is moved back and forth to cut through the seal all around the perimeter of the windshield, see e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,995,153 and 5,622,093. All of the described methods are comparatively time-consuming and cumbersome and involve an apparent risk of damaging both the actual window element and interior or exterior parts of the vehicle.
An improved method for the removal of vehicle windshields is described in my pending U.S. Patent Application No. 326 763. This method is based on the combined use of two separate tools that at spaced locations are secured to the windshield by means of suction cups and that each comprise means for winding up one end of the wire threaded through the adhesive bond of the windshield. Due to the considerable space required for the two separate hand tools and their re-positioning during the cutting operation, this method is specifically designed for the removal of windshields.
Recently, there has been an increased interest in the non-destructive removal of fixed side window elements from vehicles. One of the main reasons for this is that insurance companies are becoming more and more reluctant to pay for the replacement of fixed side windows that are undamaged after an accident but that will have to be removed in order to perform high quality body repair and paint work. In such situations, it has up to the present day been common practice to crush the window element, with the resulting cleaning and additional cost of a new window element. The only remaining options are to use one of the above described time-consuming, cumbersome and possibly damaging methods employing a knife or a manually operated wire. Additionally, such methods often cause damages also to the actual window element, so that the window element will have to be replaced anyway.